Okay, I'm realizing that historical sapphic romances are a huge component of my bookish wheelhouse, and this one was pretty much perfect for me. Told in graphic novel format, it follows an interracial, working class couple of women in early 20th Century England, from their first meeting through years of their relationship, as they strive to find independence, rewarding work, and a supportive community while loving one another. Searle also deals with issues like the fetishization and racism Esther faces while living in an almost entirely white social milieu, or the strains of poverty with which Patience grew up, but she does so in ways that don't make the story entirely about suffering. If you want a story with lesbians ending up happy, you get that here.

I also can't express enough how much I love the bonus story that updates Esther and Patience, situating them in the modern day as a married couple trying to figure out how to prioritize their time as wives and as individuals.